Multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) counting procedures

ABSTRACT

An MBMS counting procedure includes executing a connected mode counting procedure to determine whether the number of wireless communication devices in a connected mode is sufficiently large to justify providing a PTM compatible service using MBMS before executing an idle mode counting procedure. The idle mode counting procedure includes transmitting a downlink message from the system that can be received by wireless communication devices in idle mode. The system receives idle mode counting request response messages transmitted by wireless communication devices that were in the idle mode at the time the downlink message was sent. Each idle mode counting request response message indicates to the system whether the wireless communication device sending the idle mode counting request response message should be counted as an MMBS device that will receive the PTM compatible service.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to patent application Ser. No. 13/285,934,entitled MULTIMEDIA BROADCAST MULTICAST SERVICE (MBMS) IDLE MODECOUNTING PROCEDURE, and filed concurrently with this application andincorporated in its entirety herein.

FIELD

This invention generally relates to wireless communications and moreparticularly to Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) countingprocedures.

BACKGROUND

Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) is a Point-to-Multipoint(PTM) interface specification designed to provide efficient delivery ofbroadcast and multicast services within 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP) cellular networks. Examples of MBMS interfacespecifications include those described in Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) and Long Term Evolution (LTE)communication specifications. For broadcast transmission across multiplecells, the specifications define transmission over single-frequencynetwork configurations. Intended applications include mobile TV, news,radio broadcasting, file delivery, emergency alerts, and others. Whenservices are broadcasted by MBMS, all cells inside an MBSFN (MultimediaBroadcast multicast service Single Frequency Network) area transmit thesame MBMS service.

Users access these services and obtain the MBMS content through wirelesscommunication devices such as cellular phones, tablets, laptops, andother devices with wireless transceivers that communicate with the basestations within the communication system. The base stations, sometimesreferred to as eNodeBs or eNBs, provide wireless services to thewireless communication devices, sometimes referred to as user equipment(UE), within cells.

The wireless communication devices (UEs) may be in one of at least twomodes including a connected mode and an idle mode. A UE is in ConnectedMode when an RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection has beenestablished. If no RRC connection is established, the UE is in the idlemode. Therefore, the connected mode comprises an established RadioResource Control (RRC) Connection while there is no established RRCConnection in the idle mode.

When in the Connected Mode, the UE performs functions such as 1)monitoring a Paging channel and/or System Information Block Type 1contents to detect system information change, for ETWS capable UEs, ETWSnotification, and for MBMS capable UEs, CMAS notification; 2) monitoringcontrol channels associated with the shared data channel to determine ifdata is scheduled for the UE; 3) providing channel quality and feedbackinformation; 4) performing neighboring cell measurements and measurementreporting; 5) Acquiring system information; and 6) receiving MBMSservices via MBSFN.

Communication between the UE and an eNodeB is more limited in the idlemode. In idle mode, the UE receives signals from a selected eNodeBincluding system information. The UE performs cell measurements toselect and reselect cells (eNodeBs). The UE controls its own mobilitybetween cells. In other words, handovers from cell to cell are performedby the UE and not directed by the network. The UE switches from idlemode to Connected Mode by establishing an RRC connection which isperformed by first accessing the network on a control channel of thecell from which the UE is receiving information. In most situations, thenetwork is aware of a set of tracking areas where the UE is located.When the network receives a call for the registered UE, the networksends a “paging” message for the particular UE on the control channelsof all the cells in the set of tracking areas associated with the UE.The UE receives the paging message because it is tuned to the controlchannel of a cell in one of the registered tracking areas. The UE canrespond on that control channel. In the idle mode, the UE receivesemergency notifications such as Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System(ETWS) and Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) notifications. As inthe connected mode, the UE can receive MBMS service via MBSFN in theidle mode.

A user can access at least some multimedia services through a UE usingeither a Point-to-Point (PTP) connection or a Point-to-Multipoint (PTM)transmission. PTP services are provided using Unicast techniques and PTPtransmissions are performed using MBMS communication in 3GPP systems.Accordingly, a PTM compatible service can be provided using eitherUnicast service or MBMS. In order to avoid inefficient use of resources,current specifications and proposals include provisions for tracking andevaluating the number of UEs in connected mode that have beencharacterized by the network, at least for resource management purposes,as UEs that will receive the PTM compatible service.

SUMMARY

An MBMS counting procedure includes executing a connected mode countingprocedure to determine whether the number of wireless communicationdevices in a connected mode is sufficiently large to justify providing aPTM compatible service using MBMS before executing an idle mode countingprocedure. The idle mode counting procedure for a PTM compatible serviceis executed only if the number of wireless communication devices in theconnected mode is not sufficiently large to justify providing the PTMcompatible service using MBMS. The idle mode counting procedure includestransmitting a downlink message from the system that can be received bywireless communication devices in idle mode. The downlink messageincludes at least a service identifier identifying the PTM compatibleservice. The system receives idle mode counting request responsemessages transmitted by wireless communication devices that were in theidle mode at the time the downlink message was sent. Each idle modecounting request response message indicates to the system whether thewireless communication device sending the idle mode counting requestresponse message should be counted as an MBMS device that is receivingor interested in receiving the PTM compatible service. Accordingly, theidle mode counting request response message indicates to the networkthat the wireless communication device sending the message should becharacterized by the network as a device that will receive the PTMcompatible service for purposes of resource management. Based on thetotal number of wireless communication devices that will receive the PTMcompatible service, the system determines whether the MBMS compatibleservice should be sent using PTM communication which may includebroadcast and multicast transmission. If the PTM compatible service isnot provided using PTM communication, the wireless communication deviceshave the option to obtain the service through a Unicast connection. Insome circumstances, counting procedures for multiple PTM compatibleservices are performed simultaneously by including a list of PTMcompatible services in the counting request and the counting requestresponses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system that is capable ofproviding Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) to communicationdevices.

FIG. 2 is block diagram of an example of the MBMS system where the MCEincludes a Counting Procedure engine having a Connected Mode CountingProcedure engine and idle mode Counting Procedure engine.

FIG. 3 is flow chart of method of performing a counting procedure.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example of a method of performing an idlemode counting procedure performed by the communication system.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example of a method of counting procedureperformed at an idle mode wireless communication device.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of managing two PTM compatibleservices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, current specifications and proposals includetechniques for counting the number of wireless communication devices(UEs) in connected mode that are receiving a specific PTM compatibleservice over MBMS. As discussed herein, a PTM compatible service is anycombination of data, communication, service, and content that can beprovided by PTM techniques. In most situations, the PTM compatibleservice can also be provided by Unicast service using PTP techniques.Resources are more efficiently allocated, however, by only providing thespecific PTM compatible service with MBMS when the number of wirelesscommunication devices in connected mode (connected mode UEs) receivingthe specific PTM compatible service using PTM is sufficiently high. Forexample, if there are many users that are using, or will likely use, aparticular PTM compatible service in the MBSFN area, then the networkallocates resources to deliver the program by MBMS via PTM. In otherwords, if there are many users that are interested in getting aparticular PTM compatible service and, therefore, are operating awireless communication device that is receiving, or is likely toreceive, the PTM compatible service in the MBSFN area, then the networkallocates resources to deliver the specific PTM compatible service usingPTM techniques. On the contrary, if there are a small number of usersthat are interested in and will use the particular PTM compatibleservice, it is more efficient to deliver the PTM compatible serviceusing PTP techniques such as those used with a Unicast connection Stateddifferently, if the number of devices that are receiving or are likelyto receive specific PTM compatible service is below some threshold, itis more efficient to provide the specific PTM compatible service usingPTP with a Unicast connection. When services are broadcasted by PTMusing MBMS, all cells inside the MBSFN (Multimedia Broadcast multicastservice Single Frequency Network) area are required to broadcast thesame information so the amount of wasted resource could be very largewhen very few wireless communication devices (UEs) are obtaining theservice. In accordance with current specifications, therefore, a programor service is discontinued from PTM transmission when the size of theaudience using wireless communication devices in connected modedecreases below a threshold. For activation of a service by PIM, thenetwork evaluates the number of wireless communication devices which arePTM capable but which are receiving a given PTM compatible service viaPTP such as through a Unicast service as well as devices that have beenidentified as devices that are will receive the PTM compatible service.The network characterizes devices that are receiving the service or thatare likely to receive the service as devices that will receive theservice for purposes of resource management and determines the number ofPTM capable wireless communication devices (UEs) that are characterizedas devices that will receive the service. When that number of PTMcapable wireless communication devices (UEs) exceeds a threshold, theservice is provided using PTM.

In order for the network to receive reception status feedback from thewireless communication devices (UEs), the current 3GPP specificationsspecify Counting Procedures. A Counting Procedure is initiated by thenetwork. A Multi-cell/multicast Coordination Entity (MCE) in the networksends a request to each eNodeB providing the specific PTM compatibleservice in the MBSFN area to send a Counting Request to the wirelesscommunication devices (UEs). The Counting Request contains a list ofspecific PTM compatible service identifiers requiring wirelesscommunication device (UE) feedback. The connected mode wirelesscommunication devices (UEs) which are receiving, or interested inreceiving, the identified content respond with a Counting Responsemessage including the specific PTM compatible service identifiers thatare of interest.

The current communication specifications, therefore, provide for aCounting Procedure that allows for the network to determine a number ofwireless communication devices (UEs) in the connected mode that areinterested in specific MBMS content. Unfortunately, the currentspecification and proposals do not account for wireless communicationdevices (UEs) in idle mode that are receiving, or will likely receive, aspecific PTM compatible service. Such an arrangement results in aninefficient use of resources in some circumstances.

For example, conventional systems, specifications, and proposals maydiscontinue or refrain from providing PTM compatible services using PTMif the number of communication devices in connected mode that arereceiving or would receive the PTM compatible service is less than theminimum required to justify providing the PTM compatible service usingPTM. Wireless communication devices (UEs) in idle mode that arereceiving or would receive the PTM compatible service will be requiredto switch to a PTP (Unicast) connection in order to receive the PTMcompatible service. This results in an inefficient use of resources whenthe number of such wireless communication devices (UEs) is above somethreshold. Additional communication resources are unnecessarilydedicated to maintain multiple PTP (Unicast) sessions. Also, since thewireless communication devices (UEs) must be in the connected mode forPTP (Unicast) services, the wireless communication devices (UEs) consumemore power resulting in decreased battery life of the wirelesscommunication devices (UEs).

In accordance with the examples herein, the wireless communicationdevices (UEs) in idle mode that are receiving or will likely receive thePTM compatible service are counted. In one example, the idle modewireless communication devices (IM wireless communication devices, idlemode UEs, IMUEs) are only counted if the counted number of the connectedmode wireless communication devices (CM wireless communication devices,connected mode UEs, CMUEs) does not justify providing the PTM compatibleservice via PTM.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system 100 that is capableof providing Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) to wirelesscommunication devices 102, 104, 106, 108. The communication system 100,therefore, is referred to as a MBMS communication system 100. The MBMScommunication system 100 is capable of transmitting certain content towireless communication devices (UEs) using either Unicast services orthe MBMS services. The content, referred to herein as PTM compatibleservice, may be a service, data, or a program that can be accessedthrough a wireless communication device. Examples of PTM compatibleservices include streaming audio and video and other multimedia data.Accordingly, as discussed herein, a PTM compatible service may beprovided using PTP (Unicast) service or PTM service. The communicationsystem 100 may also provide other communication services such aswireless telephone service, SMS, text messaging, and others services.

The MBMS communication system 100 includes several base stations 110,112 sometimes referred to as eNodeBs or eNBs (110, 112), thatcommunicate with the wireless communication devices (UEs) 102, 104, 106,108 by transmitting downlink signals and receiving uplink signalstransmitted from the wireless communication devices 102, 104, 106, 108.The wireless communication devices (UEs) 102, 104, 106, 108 are anywireless communication devices such as mobile phones, transceivermodems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and tablets, for example.The wireless communication devices may be referred to as cell phones,mobile devices, smart phones, and other names. In systems operating inaccordance with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) communicationstandards, the wireless communication devices 102, 104, 106, 108 areoften referred to as user equipment (UE), (UEs), or UE devices. Sincefor the examples provided herein the system operates in accordance witha 3GPP communication specification, the term eNodeB may be used to referto the base stations and the wireless communication devices may bereferred to as UEs.

The base stations (eNodeBs) 110, 112 are connected to a network througha backhaul in accordance with known techniques. The MBMS communicationsystem 100 provides PTM services by transmitting the PTM compatibleservice through multiple base stations (eNodeBs) 110, 112 using PTM andMBMS techniques.

A Multi-cell/multicast Coordination Entity (MCE) 114 manages MBMScommunications by exchanging information and instructions with the basestations (eNodeBs) 110, 112. The MCE 114 is typically a logical entitythat is implemented over several devices or network elements within thenetwork/system. The MCE 114, however, may be implemented within a singledevice or network element in some circumstances. The MCE 114 performsfunctions such as admission control and allocation of radio resourcesfor the MBMS Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area 116 for multicellMBMS. In managing the MBMS communications, the MCE 114 invokes countingprocedures and acquires counting results for one or more PTM compatibleservices. Based on the counting procedure results and possibly otherfactors, the MCE 114 determines whether a PTM session should besuspended, established, and resumed. A MBMS session is a session where aPTM compatible service is multicast from the eNodeBs 110, 112. Otherthan the new counting procedures described herein, the MCE 114 operatesin accordance with one or more current 3GPP specifications to performthese tasks for the examples described herein.

As discussed above, the wireless communication devices (UEs) may be inone of at least two modes including an idle mode and a connected mode.When operating in accordance with a 3GPP communication specification,operations are defined for at least an idle mode and a connected mode.For the example of FIG. 1, two of the wireless communication devices(UEs) 102, 104 are in idle mode and are referred to as idle modewireless communication devices and idle mode UEs 102, 104. The wirelesscommunication devices (UEs) also include wireless communication devices(UEs) that are in connected mode that are referred to as connected modewireless communication devices and connected mode UEs 106, 108.Connected mode wireless communication devices (UEs) differ from idlemode wireless communication devices (UEs) in at least that the connectedmode wireless communication devices (UEs) have an established RRCconnection as defined by the particular 3GPP specification governingoperation of the system 100 and idle mode wireless communication devices(UEs) do not have an RRC connection. Accordingly, idle mode UEs lack anRRC connection with an eNodeB (base station).

The MBMS system 100 counts idle mode communication devices (idle modeUEs) in certain circumstances. When a count of connected mode wirelesscommunication devices (connected mode UEs) reveals that there are notenough connected mode wireless communication devices that will receive aPTM compatible service to justify providing the service via PTM (MBMS),the MBMS system 100 performs an idle mode counting procedure todetermine if the total number of connected and idle mode wirelesscommunication devices interested in a PTM compatible service justifiesproviding the PTM compatible service using PTM (MBMS). For the examplesherein, the idle mode counting procedure is performed only when theconnected mode counting procedure indicates that there are not enoughconnected mode wireless communication devices that have indicated thatthey will receive the PTM compatible service to justify providing thecontent using PTM.

The MCE 114, therefore, invokes the connected mode counting procedure inaccordance with a 3GPP specification to determine if one or more PTMcompatible services should be provided using PTM. Accordingly, the MCE114 determines if a particular PTM compatible service should beestablished through MBSFN or, if already established, whether the PTMcompatible service should continue to be provided through MBSFN.Therefore, an example of the connected mode counting procedure (CMcounting procedure) includes the 3GPP LTE Communication SpecificationCounting Procedure described in a 3GPP LTE Communication Specificationsuch as TS 36.331 v10.2.0 and TS 36.300 v10.3.0 which are incorporatedby reference herein. The CM Counting Procedure is initiated by the MCE114. The MCE 114 directs each eNodeB providing the service in the MBSFNarea to send a Connected Mode Counting Request (CM Counting Request) 118to the UEs. For the example, the CM Counting Request 118 contains a listof PTM compatible services requiring UE feedback. The connected mode UEs106, 108 which are receiving or interested in the identified PTMcompatible service respond with a Connected Mode Counting RequestResponse (CMCRR) message 120 including the MBMS service identifiers ofinterest. The MCE 114 evaluates the responses 120 and determines thenumber of connected mode UEs that are using or expected to use each PTMservice (e.g., the UEs that are receiving or are likely to receive thespecific PTM compatible service). A Wireless communication device (UE)indicates interest in a PTM compatible service with the CMCRR message120. Accordingly, CMCRR message 120 indicates to the system 100 that theUE sending the CMCRR message 120 should be counted for the PTMcompatible service at least for purposes of resource management. Thenumber of connected mode UEs for each PTM compatible service (MBMSservice) is compared to a threshold and, if the number is above thethreshold, the MCE 114 determines that the particular PTM compatibleservice should be provided via PTM. If, however, the number of connectedmode UEs is below the threshold, the MCE executes an idle mode (IM)Counting Procedure.

For the examples herein, the IM Counting Procedure includes transmittinga downlink message 122 that can be received by UEs in idle mode (IMUEs)102, 104 where the downlink message 122 includes a service identifier124 that identifies at least one PTM compatible service such a TV show,movie, concert, or the like. The service identifier 124 may, therefore,include all PTM compatible services evaluated in the CM countingprocedure or may include only a subset. The downlink message 122 istransmitted by all of the base stations (eNodeBs) in the MBSFN area. Thedownlink message 122 is an Idle Mode Counting Request (IMCR) message 126that is sent as part of a MBMS control message. Examples of suitableMBMS control messages include messages such as a System InformationBlock (SIB) message or a MBMS point-to-multipoint Control Channel (MCCH)message. For the example, the IMCR is sent as an Information Element(IE) in a SIB 13 message. The IMCR message 126 includes a serviceidentifier (SI) 124 that identifies at least one PTM compatible service.The service identifier 124 may be a list of PTM compatible services inmany circumstances. The IM UEs 102, 104 receive and process the downlinkmessage (IMCR message) and respond with an idle mode (IM) CountingRequest Response message (IMCRR message) 130. The IMCRR message 130 issent as an uplink message 132 in response to the IMCR message andcontains a service identifier (SI) 134 that identifies at least one PTMcompatible service for the discussed example. The identified PTMcompatible service indicates that the UE should be counted as a devicethat is, or will be, using the PTM compatible service. Accordingly, theIMCRR message 130 indicates that the wireless communication devicesending the message should be counted for the PTM compatible service atleast for purposes of resource management. In order to transmit theIMCRR message, a UE in idle mode must transition to the connected mode.For the examples, the IMCRR message is the same as a CMCRR messageexcept that the IMCRR message is sent from an UE that was in the idlemode when an IMCR message was sent. In other words, the formats of thetwo messages are the same for at least one example.

In some circumstances, a mechanism may be used to minimize doublecounting UEs that are in connected mode that receive the IMCR. Onetechnique, for example, may use an IMCR message 124 that includes aninstruction that requires the UE to respond to the CMCR after enteringthe connected mode. In accordance with 3GPP specifications, a UE inconnected mode only responds to a Counting Request occurring after achange in MCCH information. Therefore, the UE does not respond tomultiple Counting Requests avoiding multiple counting of the UE while inthe connected mode. Accordingly, if the IMCR includes an instruction torespond to the latest Counting Request, only UEs in idle mode thatswitched to connected mode will respond to the Counting Request. UEs inconnected mode receiving the IMCR will not respond since the MCCHinformation has not changed and the counting request received via theSIB 13 message is the same as the latest connected mode countingrequest.

The system 100, therefore, receives idle mode response messagestransmitted by wireless communication devices that were in the idle modeat the time the downlink message was sent where each idle mode countingrequest response message indicates that the communication device sendingthe idle mode counting request response message should be counted forthe PTM compatible service. The counting request response message,therefore, indicates that the device sending the message should becounted as an MBMS device that will use the MBMS service. In theinterest of minimizing wireless communication traffic, therefore,response messages are only sent to indicate an interest in the servicefor the example. In some circumstances, however, a response message mayinclude an indication that the device is not interested in a particularservice.

FIG. 2 is block diagram of an example of the MBMS system 100 where theMCE 114 includes a counting procedure engine 202 having a connected modecounting procedure engine 204 and an idle mode counting procedure engine206. As explained above, the MCE 114 is typically a logical entity wherethe components forming the MCE 114 are distributed over two or morenetwork elements although the MCE 114 can be implemented within a singledevice. The entities performing functions of the MCE 114 can bedescribed as engines where an engine includes hardware and code thatperforms computations, exchanges signals, executes procedures andgenerally operates to perform a function or set of functions.Accordingly, the discussed engines may be implemented using anycombination of hardware, software, and/or firmware that may bedistributed over several devices or implemented within a single device.Further, portions of the engines may be shared with other engines and/orother elements such that hardware and/or code used by one engine may beemployed by one or more other engines or other devices.

For the example, a counting procedure engine 202 in the MCE 114 includesa connected mode counting procedure engine 204, an idle mode countingprocedure engine 206, and a counting procedure evaluation engine 208.The counting procedure engine 202 executes tasks resulting in theexchange of signals and messages between the base stations 110, 112 andthe wireless communication devices and the execution of calculations todetermine a number of wireless communication devices likely to access aspecific PTM compatible service capable of being transmitted using PTM.Therefore, the counting procedure engine 202 counts responses fromwireless communication devices and determines if the number of devicesmeeting some criteria justifies providing a specific PTM compatibleservice using PTM. The connected mode counting procedure engine 204counts the wireless communication devices (UEs) 106, 108 in connectedmode that will access the PTM compatible service (specific MBMS content)and the idle mode counting procedure engine 296 counts the wirelesscommunication devices (UEs) 102, 104 in idle mode that will access thePTM compatible service). Among other functions, the counting procedureevaluation engine 208 determines, based on the results of the connectedmode counting procedure engine 204, whether the idle mode countingprocedure engine 206 should be invoked. If the counting procedureevaluation engine 208 determines that there is a sufficient number ofwireless communication devices in connected mode that are likely toreceive the content, the idle mode counting procedure engine 296 is notinvoked for the PTM compatible service and the PTM compatible service isprovided using PTM. If, however, the counting procedure evaluationengine 208 determines that there is not a sufficient number of wirelesscommunication devices in connected mode that are likely to receive thecontent, the idle mode counting procedure engine 206 is invoked and thePTM compatible service is provided using PTM only if the total number ofwireless communication devices in connected mode and in idle mode thatwill use the service justifies providing the PTM compatible serviceusing PTM.

The wireless communication device 212 is an example of a wirelesscommunication device capable of receiving PTM (MBMS) and that isoperable in one of at least two modes including the connected mode andthe idle mode where a wireless communication device is in the connectedmode when an RRC Connection has been established and is in the idle modewhen no RRC Connection has been established. Accordingly, depending onthe state of the wireless communication device 212, the wirelesscommunication device 212 is an example of the connected mode wirelesscommunication devices 106, 108 and the idle mode wireless communicationdevices 102, 104.

The wireless communication device (UE) 212 includes a receiver 214, atransmitter and a controller 216. The receiver 214 is configured toreceive downlink signals transmitted from one or more base stations(eNodeBs). The signals that can be received by the receiver 214 at leastpartially depend on the mode of the wireless communication device (UE)212. In the connected mode, the wireless communication device 212monitors control channels to obtain timing and channel informationallowing the receiver to receive downlink signals. In the idle mode,however, the wireless communication device is not able to receive theall of the same downlink signals that can be received in the connectedmode. Accordingly, there are only some downlink signals that can bereceived by the receiver in idle mode. In 3GPP LTE systems, the downlinksignals that can be received in idle mode include at leastsynchronization signals, paging signal and system information signal andMBMS signal. When the wireless communication device 212 is in theconnected mode, the transmitter 218 transmits uplink signals inaccordance with the communication standard and the control information.The transmitter 212 does not transmit uplink signals when the wirelesscommunication device 22 is in the idle mode. Accordingly, if thewireless communication device 212 is in the idle mode, the wirelesscommunication device 212 must switch to the connected mode in order forthe transmitter to transmit an uplink signal.

Among other functions, the controller 218 determines when to switchbetween modes and executes the procedures to switch between modes. Thecontroller 218 is any processor, processor arrangement, logic circuitry,circuit, arrangement of electronics, code, or combination thereof thatperforms the described functions as well as facilitating the overalloperability of the wireless communication device 212.

The connected mode counting procedure engine 204 instructs the basestations to send a connected mode counting request (CMCR) 118 to thewireless communication devices 102, 104 in connected mode. For theexample, the CMCR 118 is sent in accordance with 3GPP communicationstandards and is therefore sent over the MBMS Point-to-MultipointControl Channel (MCCH). Since idle mode wireless communication devicescannot respond to the CMCR 118, the idle mode wireless communicationdevices either ignore or do not read the CMCR portion of the MCCHapportioned for the CMCR. Since the CMCR 118 is sent via a channel thatis not monitored by wireless communication devices in idle mode, theCMCR 118 is not received by wireless communication devices 106, 108 inidle mode. The receiver 214 in each connected mode wirelesscommunication device 102, 104 receives the MCCH and deciphers the CMCR118. The controller 216 processes the CMCR 118 and generates theappropriate CMCRR 120 which is transmitted by the transmitter 218 to abase station (eNodeB). As discussed above, the CMCRR 120 identifies thePTM compatible service which is likely to be received by the wirelesscommunication device. The identified PTM compatible service may includecontent or services that is currently being received by the wirelesscommunication device or that may be received by the wirelesscommunication device in the future. Therefore, the controller 216 maydetermine that the user is interested in a particular content, such asservice, TV show, movie, audio broadcast, etc., based on thedetermination that the PTM compatible service is currently beingreceived, PTM compatible service is scheduled to be received, or by someother indication such as by a user input, for example. Accordingly, theCMCRR 120 indicates that the device sending the message should becounted for the PTM compatible service.

In accordance with current 3GPP specifications, the CMCRR 120 includes alist of the particular PTM compatible service that the wirelesscommunication device is likely to receive (PTM compatible services inwhich the user is interested). In the example, if the controller 216determines that none of the PTM compatible services listed in the CMCR118 is of interest to the user and will likely not be received by thewireless communication device, the controller 216 determines that theCMCR 118 should be ignored and no response is sent. In somecircumstances, a response can be sent indicating there is not aninterest in one or more services. As discussed above, such a techniqueis typically avoided in order to minimize wireless communicationtraffic.

The MCE 114 processes the data provided by the CMCRR messages 120received by all of the base stations (eNodeBs) 110, 112 in the MBSFNarea 116 and determines which PTM compatible service should betransmitted using PTM. The connected mode counting procedure engine 204calculates the total number of responses indicating interest for eachPTM compatible service. The counting procedure evaluation engine 208determines if the number of devices interested in each PTM compatibleservice is sufficiently large to justify providing the PTM compatibleservice by PTM. For the examples herein, the number of counted devicesfor each PTM compatible service is compared to a threshold and, if thenumber exceeds the threshold, it is determined that the PTM compatibleservice should be provided by PTM. The threshold for each service maythe same or may be different. Further, the thresholds may be dynamic orstatic. If the number of counted wireless communication devices thatwill receive a PTM compatible service does not justify providing theservice with PTM, the idle mode counting procedure is invoked by theidle mode counting procedure engine 206.

The idle mode counting procedure engine 206 requests or otherwiseinstructs the base stations (eNodeBs) in the area to transmit an idlemode counting request (IMCR) 126 using a downlink signal that can bereceived wireless communication devices 102, 104 (UEs) in idle mode. Asdiscussed above, examples of suitable techniques for transmitting theIMCR 126 include using a System Information Block (SIB) message or aMBMS point-to-multipoint Control Channel (MCCH) message. The IMCR 126includes a service identifier 124 that identifies one or more PTMcompatible services for which the MCE 114 is performing the idle modecounting procedure. The list of PTM compatible services includes eachPTM compatible service (MBMS service) for which the connected modecounting procedure determined that there was an insufficient number ofconnected mode devices that would use the service. Accordingly, the listof services in the IMCR service identifier 124 may be the same as or maybe a subset of the list of services transmitted in the CMCR 118.

Since the IMCR 126 is transmitted using a downlink signal 122 that canbe received by a wireless communication device 104, 106 in idle mode,the IMCR 126 is received by the receiver 214 and processed by thecontroller 216 in each wireless communication device in idle mode withinthe MBSFN area 116. In response to the IMCR 126, the controller 216generates an IMCRR 130 identifying the MBMS services in the IMCR 126that the wireless communication device 106, 108 is likely to receive.Accordingly, the service identifier 134 in the IMCRR 130 includes a listof MBMS services that are of interest to the user. The MBMS services maybe services that are currently being received by the wirelesscommunication device or may be services that are determined by thecontroller 216 to be PTM compatible services that the wirelesscommunication device will receive in the future. If the controller 216identifies at least one PTM compatible service that should counted, thecontroller 216 switches the wireless communication device 212 (104, 106)from the idle mode to the connected mode. Once in the connected mode,the transmitter 218 transmits the IMCRR 130 to the base station 110.

The MCE 114 processes the data provided by the IMCRR messages 130received by all of the base stations 110, 112 in the MBSFN area anddetermines which PTM compatible services should be transmitted usingPTM. The idle mode counting procedure engine 206 calculates the totalnumber of responses indicating interest for each PTM compatible service.The counting procedure evaluation engine 208 determines if the totalnumber of wireless communication devices interested in each PTMcompatible service is sufficiently large to justify providing the PTMcompatible service by PTM. The counting procedure evaluation engine 208,therefore, adds the number wireless communication devices counted for aPTM compatible service by the connected mode counting procedure engine204 to the number of wireless communication devices counted for the PTMcompatible service by the idle mode counting procedure engine 206 tocalculate a total number of wireless communication devices for each PTMcompatible service. For the examples herein, the total number of counteddevices for each PTM compatible service is compared to a threshold and,if the number exceeds the threshold, it is determined that the PTMcompatible service should be provided by PTM. The thresholds may be thesame or different for each PTM compatible service. Further, thethresholds may be dynamic or static. In accordance with knowntechniques, the MBMS service engine 210 provides the PTM compatibleservices using PTM for all PTM compatible services determined to have asufficiently high number wireless communication devices as counted bythe counting procedure engine 202.

FIG. 3 is flow chart of method of performing a counting procedure.Although the method may be performed using any combination of hardwareand code, for the example of FIG. 3, the method is performed in acommunication system 100 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 described above.

At step 302, the connected mode counting procedure is performed. Asdiscussed above, the MCE 114 invokes the counting procedure byrequesting the base stations (eNodBs) 110, 112 in the MBSFN area 116 tosend connected mode counting requests (CMCR) 118. CMCRs 118 identify atleast one PTM compatible service for which a count is desired. Since theconnected mode counting requests 118 is only used by connected modewireless communication devices (CMUEs), only the connected mode wirelesscommunication devices UEs respond with a connected mode counting requestresponse (CMCRR) 120 which indicates which PTM compatible services thewireless communication device (UE) is receiving or intends to receive.In other words the CMCRR 120 identifies the PTM compatible services forwhich the wireless communication device (UE) should be counted.

At step 304, it is determined whether the number of connected modewireless communication device (CMUE) that will receive a PTM compatibleservice is greater than a threshold. If the number of connected modewireless communication devices (CMUEs) is greater than a threshold for aPTM compatible service, the method proceeds to step 306, where the PTMcompatible service is provided using PTM. Otherwise, the methodcontinues at step 308.

At step 308, the idle mode counting procedure is performed. As discussedabove, an idle mode counting request (IMCR) is transmitted from the basestations (eNodeBs) using downlink signals that can be received by UEs inidle mode. Each UE in idle mode receives the IMCR and respond with anIMCRR indicating which PTM compatible service will be received by thenUE. Each idle mode wireless communication device (IMUE) that generates aresponse, switches to the connected mode and transmits the IMCRR 130.For the example, a UE does not respond if there are no PTM compatibleservices of interest to the user. The IMCRRs are received by the basestations (eNodeBs) and forwarded to the MCE 114 where the number of UEsfor each PTM compatible service is calculated.

At step 310, for each PTM compatible service, the total number wirelesscommunication devices that will likely receive the PTM compatibleservice is compared to a threshold. The total number of wirelesscommunication devices is calculated by summing the number of idle modewireless communication devices with the number of connected modewireless communication devices. In some circumstances, techniques may beimplemented to avoid double counting wireless communication devices thatare in the connected mode but also receive the IMCR. If the total numberexceeds the threshold, the method continues proceeds to step 206.Otherwise, the method continues at step 312 where the PTM compatibleservices not having an adequate number of interested wirelesscommunication devices are not transmitted using PTM. The PTM compatibleservice may be transmitted using Unicast service (PTP) to each wirelesscommunication device interested in the particular PTM compatibleservice. For example, if the user still desires the service if it is notavailable via PTM, the wireless communication device can employ aUnicast connection to obtain the service.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example of a method of performing an idlemode counting procedure performed by the communication system. For theexample of FIG. 4, the method is performed by the MCE, the basestations, and other system components at the direction of the MCE.

At step 402, downlink messages that can be received by wirelesscommunication devices in idle mode are transmitted where the downlinkmessages include at least a service identifier that identifies a PTMcompatible service for which idle mode wireless communication devicesare to be counted. For the example, an IMCR is transmitted from the basestations. As discussed above, a suitable technique for transmitting theIMCR includes transmitting an information element (IE) within an SIB 13message.

At step 404, responses to the IMCR are received from wirelesscommunication devices that were in the idle mode at the time the IMCRwas sent. Each wireless communication device responding to the idle modecounting request, switches to connected mode and transmits an idle modecounting request response message that indicates that the wirelesscommunication devices sending the response should be counted for atleast one PTM compatible service identified in the IMCR.

Therefore, the system 100 sends an IMCR including a service identifieridentifying at least one PTM compatible service to be counted. Inresponse to the IMCR, each wireless communication device in idle modeindicates an interest in one or more PTM compatible services identifiedin the IMCR by sending an IMCRR including a service identifieridentifying the services of interest.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example of a method of counting procedureperformed at an idle mode wireless communication device. For theexample, the method is performed in a wireless communication device suchas the wireless communication device 212. The method begins with thewireless communication device in the idle mode. Accordingly, thewireless communication device 212 is an idle mode wireless communicationdevice 102, 104 at step 502.

At step 502, a downlink request message is received at the wirelesscommunication device while the wireless communication device is in idlemode. The downlink message includes a service identifier that identifiesat least on PTM compatible service. For the example, the wirelesscommunication device 212 (102,104) receives an IMCR transmitted from abase station. An example of a downlink request message, therefore, is anIMCR.

At step 504, an idle mode response message is transmitted in response tothe downlink request message. The idle mode response message indicateswhether the wireless communication device should be counted as a devicethat will receive the PTM compatible service identified in the downlinkrequest message. For the example, the response message is an IMCRR. Asexplained above, the IMCR may include a list of PTM compatible servicesfor which a count is being obtained. The IMCRR may include a list of PTMcompatible services that is subset of, or the same as the list in theIMCR. In order to transmit the idle mode response message, the wirelesscommunication device 212 must first switch to the connected mode.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of managing two PTM compatibleservices. The method is an example of the method discussed withreference to FIG. 3. Although the method may be performed by otherentities, the method is performed by the MCE for the example.

At step 602, the connected mode counting procedure is performed. The MCEdirects the base stations (ENodeBs within the MBSFN area to send aCounting Request for a first PTM compatible service (service 1) and asecond PTM compatible service (service 2). The wireless communicationdevices (UEs) in connected mode respond to the request. The CountingRequest is a Connected Mode Counting Request (CMCR) and the responsesare Connected Mode Counting Request Responses (CMCRRs). For eachservice, the number of responses indicating that the responding wirelesscommunication device will receive the PTM compatible service isdetermined.

At step 604, the number of wireless communication devices in connectedmode that have indicated an interest in the first PTM compatible serviceis compared to a first service threshold. If the number is greater thanthe threshold, the method continues to step 606. Otherwise, the methodproceeds to step 608.

At step 606 the MCE informs the base stations to provide the first PTMcompatible service (Service 1) using MBMS. The method proceeds to step610 where the number of wireless communication devices in connected modethat have indicated an interest in the second PTM compatible service iscompared to a second service threshold. If the number is greater thanthe threshold, the method continues to step 612 where the base stationsare informed to provide the second PTM compatible service using PTM.Otherwise, the method proceeds to step 614.

At step 614, the base stations are instructed to send a counting requestto the wireless communication devices in idle mode. An IMCR is sent bythe base stations over downlink signals that can be received by the idlemode wireless communication devices (IM UEs). A service identifierwithin the IMCR identifies the second PTM compatible service. Asdiscussed above, an example of a suitable technique for sending the IMCRincludes sending an information element (IE) within a SIB 13 message.

At step 608, the number of wireless communication devices in connectedmode that have indicated an interest in the second PTM compatibleservice is compared to the second service threshold. If the number isgreater than the threshold, the method continues to step 616. Otherwise,the method proceeds to step 620.

At step 616 the MCE informs the base stations to provide the second PTMcompatible service (service 2) using PTM. The method proceeds to step618 where the base stations are instructed to send a counting request tothe wireless communication devices in idle mode. An IMCR is sent by thebase stations over downlink signals that can be received by the idlemode wireless communication devices (IM UEs). A service identifierwithin the IMCR identifies the first PTM compatible service.

At step 620, the base stations are instructed to send a counting requestto the wireless communication devices in idle mode. An IMCR is sent bythe base stations over downlink signals that can be received by the idlemode wireless communication devices (IM UEs). A service identifierwithin the IMCR identifies the first PIM compatible service and thesecond PTM compatible service.

After either step 614, 618, or 620 is performed, the method proceeds tostep 622. At step 622, the responses received from the wirelesscommunication devices are counted. The IMCRRs include a serviceidentifier identifying one or more PTM compatible services. Depending onservice identifiers in the IMCR and the response of the particularwireless communication device, the service identifier in an IMCRR mayidentify service 1, service 2 or both. For example, if step 620 isperformed so that the IMCR lists both service but a particular wirelesscommunication device is only interested in receiving service 2, theservice identifier in the IMCRR only lists service 2. As discussedabove, techniques may be used in some circumstances to avoid doublecounting a wireless communication device that sends a counting requestresponse in response to a counting request received while in connectedmode and a response in response to a counting request received while theidle mode.

At step 624, it is determined if the elapsed time since the first IMCRmessage was sent has reached a threshold. In some circumstances, theelapsed time may be based on a number of times the IMCR message is sent.If the time meets the threshold, the method stops at step 626.Otherwise, the method returns to step 604.

Clearly, other embodiments and modifications of this invention willoccur readily to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of theseteachings. The above description is illustrative and not restrictive.This invention is to be limited only by the following claims, whichinclude all such embodiments and modifications when viewed inconjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings. Thescope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not withreference to the above description, but instead should be determinedwith reference to the appended claims along with their full scope ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of counting wireless communicationdevices in a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) systemcomprising a plurality of communication devices, each wirelesscommunication device operable in one of at least two modes comprising aconnected mode and an idle mode where each wireless communication deviceis the connected mode when a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection hasbeen established and where each wireless communication device is in theidle mode when no RRC Connection has been established, the methodcomprising: executing a connected mode counting procedure to determinewhether a number of wireless communication devices in a connected modeindicating that they should be counted for a Point-to-Multipoint (PTM)compatible service is greater than a threshold, the PTM compatibleservice capable of being provided by MBMS; executing an idle modecounting procedure only if the number of communication devices in theconnected mode is not larger than the threshold, the idle mode countingprocedure comprising: transmitting a downlink message that can bereceived by wireless communication devices in idle mode, the downlinkmessage comprising a service identifier identifying the PTM compatibleservice; receiving idle mode response messages transmitted by wirelesscommunication devices that were in the idle mode at the time thedownlink message was sent, each idle mode counting request responsemessage indicating the wireless communication device sending the idlemode counting request response message should be counted for the PTMcompatible service.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: addingthe number of wireless communication devices in connected modeindicating that they should be counted for the PTM compatible service tothe number of wireless communication devices in idle mode indicatingthat they should be counted for the PTM compatible service to determinea total number of wireless communication devices indicating that theyshould be counted for the PTM compatible service; and using MBMS toprovide the PTM compatible service only if the total number of wirelesscommunication devices indicating that they should be counted for the PTMcompatible service is greater than the threshold.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising: using Unicast point-to-point service to providethe PTM compatible service when the total number of wirelesscommunication devices indicating that they should be counted for the PTMcompatible service is not greater than the threshold.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the downlink message is a System Information Block(SIB) message.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink message isa MBMS point-to-multipoint Control Channel (MCCH) message.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the MBMS system operates in accordance with a 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE)communication standard.
 7. A Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service(MBMS) system comprising: a plurality of wireless communication devices,each wireless communication device operable in one of at least two modescomprising a connected mode and an idle mode where the connected modecomprises having a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection and the idlemode comprises lacking an RRC Connection; and a Multi-cell/multicastCoordination Entity (MCE) comprising: a connected mode countingprocedure engine configured to execute a connected mode countingprocedure to determine whether a number of wireless communicationdevices in a connected mode counted for a Point-to-Multipoint (PTM)compatible service is greater than a threshold, the PTM compatibleservice capable of being provided by MBMS; and an idle mode countingprocedure engine configured to execute an idle mode counting procedureonly if the number of wireless communication devices in the connectedmode counted for a PTM compatible service is not larger than thethreshold, the idle mode counting procedure comprising: transmitting adownlink message that can be received by wireless communication devicesin idle mode, the downlink message comprising a content identifieridentifying the PTM compatible service; receiving idle mode responsemessages transmitted by wireless communication devices that were in theidle mode at the time the downlink message was sent, each idle modecounting request response message indicating the wireless communicationdevice sending the idle mode counting request response message should becounted for the PTM compatible service.
 8. The MBMS system of claim 7,wherein the MCE further comprises: a counting procedure evaluationengine configured to add the number of wireless communication devices inconnected mode indicating they should be counted for the PTM compatibleservice to the number of wireless communication devices in idle modeindicating that they should be counted for the PTM compatible service todetermine a total number of wireless communication devices indicatingthat they should be counted for the PTM compatible service; and a MBMSservice engine configured to use MBMS to provide the PTM compatibleservice only if the total number of wireless communication devicesindicating they should be counted for the PTM compatible service isgreater than the threshold.
 9. The MBMS system of claim 7, wherein thedownlink message is a System Information Block (SIB) message.
 10. TheMBMS system of claim 7, wherein the downlink message is a MBMSpoint-to-multipoint Control Channel (MCCH) message.
 11. The MBMS systemof claim 7, wherein the MBMS system operates in accordance with a 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE)communication standard.